With increasing development of communications network technologies, multiple operators or multiple public land mobile networks (Public Land Mobile Network, PLMN) can provide multiple services for a user. To save costs, a network sharing technology is usually used for multiple operators or multiple services.
Network sharing includes two scenarios: network element sharing and spectrum sharing.
Network element sharing means that different operators or different PLMNs share one or some network elements. For example, operator A and operator B share one access network element M. Different user equipments (User Equipment, UE) can receive services from both an operator A and an operator B by using the access network element M.
Spectrum sharing means that different operators or different PLMNs share one or more bands. For example, bandwidth available from access network elements of the operator A in certain areas is unable to meet user requirements due to limited spectrums. To increase service capacities or quality of the access network elements in these areas, the operator A leases some spectrums from the operator B.
The foregoing resources of access network elements which are occupied by UEs in network element sharing and spectrums occupied by UEs in spectrum sharing are both shared network resources. Load capacities of network resources or network elements involved in network sharing are all restricted to some extent. Therefore, in a network shared by multiple operators or in multiple PLMNs, an inevitable problem exists that the operators or PLMNs are incapable of charging a UE.